Glock 17 or 19? (First hand gun purchase)

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I'm new to this forum and I'm in the market to buy a 9mm (more than likely). I like the fact that the ammo is cheap and I can hit up the shooting range without killing my wallet.

I'm torn between the g17 and g19. I'm 6'3", 220 LBS, and have a pretty big hand. And last week I completed the basic hand gun course (have fired a few times before). Anyhow, I had the g19 which is obviously smaller than the g17.

I know the advantages that the g19 is more concealable however I live in CA and a CCW is for one, difficult to obtain (and I don't have a reason for it anyhow).

Does the g17 have better accuracy due to the barrel length? Would the g17 be better for me due to my hand size?

Should I be looking another gun? My other interest were a Beretta, and I still havent tried a Sig Sauer.

I'm looking to buy something before the years end, if not sooner. SO any help would be greatly appreciated!

Nothing against Glocks but as said, try out as many guns as you can at the range (chances of a mistake are lessened). Accuracy doesn't increase with barrel length but can increase when the distance between the front and rear sights increases.

I went to the local shop earlier and checked out the g17, g19, it seems that the g17 might be suited for me considering my hand size. I also looked at a Beretta Storm 9mm which was nice, I did like the extra safety and the disanging safety lever.

I also checked out the Smith Wesson MP9 which was nice, I liked that you could check on top of the gun if there was a bullet in the chamber.

The glocks are really nice to handle, but what I didn't like is that you manually have to pull back the slide to check if a bullet is in the chamber, seems a lil unsafer.

I'm still undecided at this point. I still really like the glock and the way it shoots.

The extractor on the side of the Glock's slide also acts as a loaded chamber indicator (LCI). When there is a round in the chamber, the side of the extractor sticks out a bit, which can be seen or felt in low light. That being said, I'm not a fan of any LCI; a person should KNOW whether or not their handgun is loaded, and if they are not sure, they SHOULD be pulling back the slide to visually check the condition of the chamber, not depending on the position of some little gizmo to do it for them. For example, while the LCI can tell you that something is in the chamber, it can't tell you if the casing that activated the LCI is a loaded or empty case. So if the LCI is sticking out, is the gun really loaded or not? You have to check to be sure.

Most guns are not "safe" or "unsafe"; it's the person using the gun and their actions that fit into one of these categories. Go ahead and add all the so-called "safeties" that you'd like; they all have to be able to be disengaged by the shooter to fire the gun, so if the shooter is handling the gun in an unsafe manner, all the mechanical devices in the world won't make a difference.

"Placement is power" -- seen in an article by Stephen A. Camp
(RIP, Mr. Camp; you will be remembered, and missed)

I went to the local shop earlier and checked out the g17, g19, it seems that the g17 might be suited for me considering my hand size. I also looked at a Beretta Storm 9mm which was nice, I did like the extra safety and the disanging safety lever.

I also checked out the Smith Wesson MP9 which was nice, I liked that you could check on top of the gun if there was a bullet in the chamber.

The glocks are really nice to handle, but what I didn't like is that you manually have to pull back the slide to check if a bullet is in the chamber, seems a lil unsafer.

I'm still undecided at this point. I still really like the glock and the way it shoots.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

You can't check the hole in the top of the slide of the M&P in low or no light conditions. I know, I have three of them. But they are fine guns. As was mentioned by a previous poster, the Glock does have a loaded chamber indicator and it works just like guns from Kahr, and the Taurus and Beretta 92 series, to name a few. I will not address other manufacturers' products since your question was not about other candidates, but about Glock and only Glock models 17 and 19.

In October, I helped (read that as counciled and advised) a neighbor friend buy his first centerfire semi-auto handgun. He is a big man with large hands and he finally chose to go with a gen4 Glock 17. For him, that was a far better choice than the Glock 19 not only because of his hand but also because of his left hand thumb which was weak. He took the right decision in my opinion.

Since you say you are not of a mind to carry your gun, then there is nothing holding you back with the 17, though that gun can easily be concealed if that option ever opens up to you. As for the 10-round limit, that is strictly a factor of the magazine. Use the "normal" magazine and you'll be able to loaded 17 rounds plus one in the chamber. I suspect that would be a no-no in California.

As for accuracy, yes the Glock 17 should prove a little more accurate for the shooter because of the increase in sight radius and also because the stock Glock sights let very little light in around the front post to the rear aperture. The increased slide length of the 17 does allow a little more light to be emitted around that front post. The other option is to change the sights.

Oops, in looking at your post again I did see that you mentioned other companies. You best bet is to visit a gun store with a wide selection and/or a major gun show which will have a huge selection of handguns from which you can narrow your choices. Once you have your candidates down to a manageable number, go to a range where you can rent guns and try to fire ones in your selection bucket. Note that they will probably be dirty and maybe even have been subjected to some abuse. But this can actually work to your advantage as you will be able to see how the different offerings stand up to this.

As for Glocks in general, they have a very well deserved reputation of reliability and dependability. They have few parts, are simple to field strip and even detail strip for major cleaning and parts replacement, and are very easy to clean. The M&P Smith and Wesson pistols are among the best in terms of ergonomics and handling. They tend to be excellent natural pointers which makes their practical accuracy very good (practical accuracy = the gun/shooter combination). You mentioned Beretta and if you're talking about the 92 series, that is a fun gun and is also quite accurate. It is heavier but is quite well balanced. It's clone, the Taurus 92 series is also very good. Springfield XD pistols are fine tools and highly sought. And you mentioned Sig Sauer which is a top quality pistol with many offerings.

You have a lot of choices out there so don't rush your decision. It did appear that you had pretty much made up your mind that it was going to be the Glock 17 or 19. Either one would be an excellent choice but for you, the 17 has the edge. For what it's worth, I have one of each.

I went to the local shop earlier and checked out the g17, g19, it seems that the g17 might be suited for me considering my hand size. I also looked at a Beretta Storm 9mm which was nice, I did like the extra safety and the disanging safety lever.

I also checked out the Smith Wesson MP9 which was nice, I liked that you could check on top of the gun if there was a bullet in the chamber.

The glocks are really nice to handle, but what I didn't like is that you manually have to pull back the slide to check if a bullet is in the chamber, seems a lil unsafer.

I'm still undecided at this point. I still really like the glock and the way it shoots.

You can't check the hole in the top of the slide of the M&P in low or no light conditions. I know, I have three of them. But they are fine guns. As was mentioned by a previous poster, the Glock does have a loaded chamber indicator and it works just like guns from Kahr, and the Taurus and Beretta 92 series, to name a few. I will not address other manufacturers' products since your question was not about other candidates, but about Glock and only Glock models 17 and 19.

In October, I helped (read that as counciled and advised) a neighbor friend buy his first centerfire semi-auto handgun. He is a big man with large hands and he finally chose to go with a gen4 Glock 17. For him, that was a far better choice than the Glock 19 not only because of his hand but also because of his left hand thumb which was weak. He took the right decision in my opinion.

Since you say you are not of a mind to carry your gun, then there is nothing holding you back with the 17, though that gun can easily be concealed if that option ever opens up to you. As for the 10-round limit, that is strictly a factor of the magazine. Use the "normal" magazine and you'll be able to loaded 17 rounds plus one in the chamber. I suspect that would be a no-no in California.

As for accuracy, yes the Glock 17 should prove a little more accurate for the shooter because of the increase in sight radius and also because the stock Glock sights let very little light in around the front post to the rear aperture. The increased slide length of the 17 does allow a little more light to be emitted around that front post. The other option is to change the sights.

Oops, in looking at your post again I did see that you mentioned other companies. You best bet is to visit a gun store with a wide selection and/or a major gun show which will have a huge selection of handguns from which you can narrow your choices. Once you have your candidates down to a manageable number, go to a range where you can rent guns and try to fire ones in your selection bucket. Note that they will probably be dirty and maybe even have been subjected to some abuse. But this can actually work to your advantage as you will be able to see how the different offerings stand up to this.

As for Glocks in general, they have a very well deserved reputation of reliability and dependability. They have few parts, are simple to field strip and even detail strip for major cleaning and parts replacement, and are very easy to clean. The M&P Smith and Wesson pistols are among the best in terms of ergonomics and handling. They tend to be excellent natural pointers which makes their practical accuracy very good (practical accuracy = the gun/shooter combination). You mentioned Beretta and if you're talking about the 92 series, that is a fun gun and is also quite accurate. It is heavier but is quite well balanced. It's clone, the Taurus 92 series is also very good. Springfield XD pistols are fine tools and highly sought. And you mentioned Sig Sauer which is a top quality pistol with many offerings.

You have a lot of choices out there so don't rush your decision. It did appear that you had pretty much made up your mind that it was going to be the Glock 17 or 19. Either one would be an excellent choice but for you, the 17 has the edge. For what it's worth, I have one of each.

If you are not interested in a compact gun then consider the Generation 4, Glock 34. It is very much like a G-17, same magazines, weight and feel, just a little longer barrel. It also come with two additional backstraps to adjust the grip for larger hands. Buy the way barrel length does not make a difference, anyone that says not is someone that has never put handguns in a machine rest and ran identical ammunition through them. The Glock 34 will post much smaller groups than the G-19 and I should know I own three G-19's. However, none of the Glocks are not a target guns. I agree that you should try a number of handguns before making a purchase as there are many to choose from and on a site like this everybody will have an opinion as to what is best. Find a gun that fits your hand, is suited for your purpose and you can shoot well.

Thanks guys for all the thoughts I've gone back and forth and I'm 90% im gonna go with the g19 even though I'm a big guy, large hands, 6'3" 230lbs. I didnt take into account that I'm going to teach my wife how to handle this. She's 5'2" 120 lbs.

Wouldnt you agree that a g19 might be better than a g17? Thanks again guys!